45 Ash, Year 123
[Closed - Solo]
[Continued from Part II.]
She'd done plenty of stupid things when racing before. Many more stupid stunts that had been costly to her friends and herself - there had been more than one broken bone and dislocated limb, but at least on camels, they were going at a much lower speed and they weren't far from the ground. The other problem, of course, was that it wasn't the speed that killed you - but suddenly becoming stationary. She breathed through her nose, focusing now on bringing Rhiend back up. The higher up they were, the hotter the air, the easier for thermal drafts to move beneath those leathery wings and therefore, it was easier for him to fly. And if Valerian wanted to pull a stunt like that, well... now it was free game for her own Rune.
If shady behaviour was in, so be it. A race was a race, and that had cost her and Rhiend what might be precious seconds and recovery. She threaded aether through her Rune of Elementalism, the molten gold sun-like flower glowing on her palm, from her fingertips to her wrist. All around the large beast, she widened her Influence in order to help reduce the air resistance. The laws of flight and speed meant that a reduction in drag would help with the speed that they were going, and Hilana was looking to win. She couldn't Enmesh the saddle or herself, she didn't have Mesmer to utilize with communicate her directions to Rhiend, but this would have to do.
They began to rise upwards again, as the Vastiana shifted her weight back and encouraged the wyvern upwards. Her Rune continued to glow as the warm air boosted them higher, faster, at the Elementalist's behest until they were back at the travelling altitude that they had been enjoying before. If she had time, she would take them higher. But she had a reason for wanting to get back on that level, and that was that she could thicken and make the air heavier behind them - the inverse of what she had done for Rhiend. Of course, it only mattered if Valerian didn't shift his course, but if he stayed true, well... She'd take what little tricks she could. The rest she would save until the end, in case he did manage to catch up to her. There was no point in wasting aether laying traps that he could end up avoiding without even knowing he was bypassing them. There were just too much space out here.
Perhaps for the first time since the ride had started, Rhiend could sense Hilana's fire, which had been woken up from the near-miss, and her competitive urges unleashed. That connected the two of them, rider and mount, partners in this aerial dance. "On," she encouraged the wyvern, her touch light on the saddle horns now that there was no need to adjust their route. She supposed she could have done that too - but there was a chance that Valerian would be able to guess his way back, or Nagas certainly could, and then she and Rhiend would be wasting valuable time looking to position another fruitless snare. All the same, the obstinate reptile responded to her, his neck stretched out, and the girl chose to nearly flatten herself in the saddle. She released the horns, pressing her hands against his scaly neck to encourage him, to knead it like she would with Hayima'el or a horse on their skins to ask for more speed from them. Rhiend was no different, and the soft touch of her hands on his shimmering, brassy scales urged him for what he had to give. After several moments which might have been a lifetime, her hands returned to the saddle horns. Her elbows were tucked in close to her torso once more to keep everything as streamlined as possible.
Every minute meant more distance passed, staying level and aloft, even and steady. There was no need to adjust their elevation. It would have taken her even longer on Hayima'el, even with her ability to coax speed out of him. A day's ride by camel had been reduced to less than an hour now, and even hours by a more relaxed ride had been meticulously trimmed. Hours had been ridden in minutes, and they were in the home stretch now. She reached out to the spirits again when she wanted to know where Valerian and Nagas were, asking them to alert her if the Patrician and his female wyvern were going to close the gap. The cactus patch was coming up, and that was where the race was going to end.
Just as she thought she was going to be miles away, she heard the whispers of the wind as she heard Nagas' roar. They were coming, attempting to pour on the speed at the last minute, and beat them at the last possible moment after Hilana had held the lead from the start of the race. She risked a glance over her shoulder, and timed a buffet of air to cause her opponent more than a little bit of turbulence. It wouldn't do any damage to Nagas, though it might shake Valerian just a bit, but if it gave them a slight pause, that was all she wanted. She saw him rock in his saddle, being lifted clear out of it, though the chains kept him from being completely dislodged, and turned back around to focus. Rhiend took her over the cactus patch and Hilana straightened up, raising a fist into the sky in triumph, and letting the wyvern begin to slow down, banking again to turn away from the city, and reduce his speed. They couldn't very well blaze into the skies above the Holy City like this, not without being confronted by the guards, and they needed to slow it down.
Rhiend's outstretched wings settled allow them to glide, and Hilana's hands found his side. "Gratias, Rhiend. I couldn't have asked for more," she stroked his skin, feeling that muscle under her. She had a feeling he wouldn't forget her, judging by that side-eye that he was giving her, and in the distance, Valerian was catching up until the drew even with her and slowed it down, waving at her. She nodded her head to him, and he returned the gesture, looking ahead now that they were over the Vasta. They could cross and wing around, going over the mountainous areas beyond before circling the city again before making their way towards the Aerie. No longer racing, this was a good cool-down for all of them. She could see the way Rhiend edged himself ahead of Nagas, even though they were mostly side by side over distance, that the big male wanted to be in the lead. She couldn't blame him there; he had that attitude that Nagas lacked, and it reminded Hilana of Kherdroth, the last enormous wyvern that she had ridden.
If it hadn't been for His Hallowed Highness, Karindralok, Finn's Mesmer, and Khyan's skillful handling, that may have been a godawful foray. Now? She felt a lot more confident with Rhiend. She thanked the Elements around her for their assistance; the reduced air resistance had been a considerable help, and the wedge that continued to help protect her from the effects of the speed at which they had been travelling. At the more relaxed pace, Rhiend was content to follow the directions this time... and the last hour had shown him that Hilana was going to get her way, and the easiest thing to do was just glide well over the sandy expanse and the cliffs.
Hilana felt Valerian's gentle nudging after their second loop, and with it was the feeling of a question within her symphony, fleeting, but there. He wanted to know if she was ready to return to the ground, and she considered, before she nodded. To his Aerie it was, then. She let him take the lead that time, knowing how it would look if anyone was watching, and what happened in the sky was separate to what was going to happen on the ground. Image was everything, and she couldn't very well disrespect him when there were witnesses. His wyverns, his family's property, and others could see them coming... the world survived on pretense. Help it along. "Declivis," she encouraged him, and shifted her legs to let the wyvern begin the descent, and he banked as they approached the ground, flaring his wings to buffett their landing before touching down beside Nagas. She pressed her hands against his sides again, rubbing and stroking his scaled flanks.
"Are you mad at me?" Valerian asked her when they were on solid land. He was breathing hard, and his legs were wobbly, as opposed to Hilana, who slid off neatly with the grace of a dancer, landing easily with a flounce of her brightly coloured skirts. One hand went to her hip, and she eyed him, stepping up to him and grabbing his shirt with both hands, her fierce glare pinning him where he was. She stayed there for a moment before she leaned forward on tip-toe and nipped his bottom lip before following it with the faintest whisper of a kiss.
"I should be, but I can think of ways for you to make it up to me," her words whispered against his skin as servii came to look after the wyverns. "I do believe we had a deal, and it's time to pay up."
"I suppose it is. Shall we?" He made a show of offering her his arm, and Hilana took it. A bet was a bet, and he really should have known better than to make that one... But there were no losers in how they were going to spend the rest of the afternoon.
[Closed - Solo]
[Continued from Part II.]
She'd done plenty of stupid things when racing before. Many more stupid stunts that had been costly to her friends and herself - there had been more than one broken bone and dislocated limb, but at least on camels, they were going at a much lower speed and they weren't far from the ground. The other problem, of course, was that it wasn't the speed that killed you - but suddenly becoming stationary. She breathed through her nose, focusing now on bringing Rhiend back up. The higher up they were, the hotter the air, the easier for thermal drafts to move beneath those leathery wings and therefore, it was easier for him to fly. And if Valerian wanted to pull a stunt like that, well... now it was free game for her own Rune.
If shady behaviour was in, so be it. A race was a race, and that had cost her and Rhiend what might be precious seconds and recovery. She threaded aether through her Rune of Elementalism, the molten gold sun-like flower glowing on her palm, from her fingertips to her wrist. All around the large beast, she widened her Influence in order to help reduce the air resistance. The laws of flight and speed meant that a reduction in drag would help with the speed that they were going, and Hilana was looking to win. She couldn't Enmesh the saddle or herself, she didn't have Mesmer to utilize with communicate her directions to Rhiend, but this would have to do.
They began to rise upwards again, as the Vastiana shifted her weight back and encouraged the wyvern upwards. Her Rune continued to glow as the warm air boosted them higher, faster, at the Elementalist's behest until they were back at the travelling altitude that they had been enjoying before. If she had time, she would take them higher. But she had a reason for wanting to get back on that level, and that was that she could thicken and make the air heavier behind them - the inverse of what she had done for Rhiend. Of course, it only mattered if Valerian didn't shift his course, but if he stayed true, well... She'd take what little tricks she could. The rest she would save until the end, in case he did manage to catch up to her. There was no point in wasting aether laying traps that he could end up avoiding without even knowing he was bypassing them. There were just too much space out here.
Perhaps for the first time since the ride had started, Rhiend could sense Hilana's fire, which had been woken up from the near-miss, and her competitive urges unleashed. That connected the two of them, rider and mount, partners in this aerial dance. "On," she encouraged the wyvern, her touch light on the saddle horns now that there was no need to adjust their route. She supposed she could have done that too - but there was a chance that Valerian would be able to guess his way back, or Nagas certainly could, and then she and Rhiend would be wasting valuable time looking to position another fruitless snare. All the same, the obstinate reptile responded to her, his neck stretched out, and the girl chose to nearly flatten herself in the saddle. She released the horns, pressing her hands against his scaly neck to encourage him, to knead it like she would with Hayima'el or a horse on their skins to ask for more speed from them. Rhiend was no different, and the soft touch of her hands on his shimmering, brassy scales urged him for what he had to give. After several moments which might have been a lifetime, her hands returned to the saddle horns. Her elbows were tucked in close to her torso once more to keep everything as streamlined as possible.
Every minute meant more distance passed, staying level and aloft, even and steady. There was no need to adjust their elevation. It would have taken her even longer on Hayima'el, even with her ability to coax speed out of him. A day's ride by camel had been reduced to less than an hour now, and even hours by a more relaxed ride had been meticulously trimmed. Hours had been ridden in minutes, and they were in the home stretch now. She reached out to the spirits again when she wanted to know where Valerian and Nagas were, asking them to alert her if the Patrician and his female wyvern were going to close the gap. The cactus patch was coming up, and that was where the race was going to end.
Just as she thought she was going to be miles away, she heard the whispers of the wind as she heard Nagas' roar. They were coming, attempting to pour on the speed at the last minute, and beat them at the last possible moment after Hilana had held the lead from the start of the race. She risked a glance over her shoulder, and timed a buffet of air to cause her opponent more than a little bit of turbulence. It wouldn't do any damage to Nagas, though it might shake Valerian just a bit, but if it gave them a slight pause, that was all she wanted. She saw him rock in his saddle, being lifted clear out of it, though the chains kept him from being completely dislodged, and turned back around to focus. Rhiend took her over the cactus patch and Hilana straightened up, raising a fist into the sky in triumph, and letting the wyvern begin to slow down, banking again to turn away from the city, and reduce his speed. They couldn't very well blaze into the skies above the Holy City like this, not without being confronted by the guards, and they needed to slow it down.
Rhiend's outstretched wings settled allow them to glide, and Hilana's hands found his side. "Gratias, Rhiend. I couldn't have asked for more," she stroked his skin, feeling that muscle under her. She had a feeling he wouldn't forget her, judging by that side-eye that he was giving her, and in the distance, Valerian was catching up until the drew even with her and slowed it down, waving at her. She nodded her head to him, and he returned the gesture, looking ahead now that they were over the Vasta. They could cross and wing around, going over the mountainous areas beyond before circling the city again before making their way towards the Aerie. No longer racing, this was a good cool-down for all of them. She could see the way Rhiend edged himself ahead of Nagas, even though they were mostly side by side over distance, that the big male wanted to be in the lead. She couldn't blame him there; he had that attitude that Nagas lacked, and it reminded Hilana of Kherdroth, the last enormous wyvern that she had ridden.
If it hadn't been for His Hallowed Highness, Karindralok, Finn's Mesmer, and Khyan's skillful handling, that may have been a godawful foray. Now? She felt a lot more confident with Rhiend. She thanked the Elements around her for their assistance; the reduced air resistance had been a considerable help, and the wedge that continued to help protect her from the effects of the speed at which they had been travelling. At the more relaxed pace, Rhiend was content to follow the directions this time... and the last hour had shown him that Hilana was going to get her way, and the easiest thing to do was just glide well over the sandy expanse and the cliffs.
Hilana felt Valerian's gentle nudging after their second loop, and with it was the feeling of a question within her symphony, fleeting, but there. He wanted to know if she was ready to return to the ground, and she considered, before she nodded. To his Aerie it was, then. She let him take the lead that time, knowing how it would look if anyone was watching, and what happened in the sky was separate to what was going to happen on the ground. Image was everything, and she couldn't very well disrespect him when there were witnesses. His wyverns, his family's property, and others could see them coming... the world survived on pretense. Help it along. "Declivis," she encouraged him, and shifted her legs to let the wyvern begin the descent, and he banked as they approached the ground, flaring his wings to buffett their landing before touching down beside Nagas. She pressed her hands against his sides again, rubbing and stroking his scaled flanks.
"Are you mad at me?" Valerian asked her when they were on solid land. He was breathing hard, and his legs were wobbly, as opposed to Hilana, who slid off neatly with the grace of a dancer, landing easily with a flounce of her brightly coloured skirts. One hand went to her hip, and she eyed him, stepping up to him and grabbing his shirt with both hands, her fierce glare pinning him where he was. She stayed there for a moment before she leaned forward on tip-toe and nipped his bottom lip before following it with the faintest whisper of a kiss.
"I should be, but I can think of ways for you to make it up to me," her words whispered against his skin as servii came to look after the wyverns. "I do believe we had a deal, and it's time to pay up."
"I suppose it is. Shall we?" He made a show of offering her his arm, and Hilana took it. A bet was a bet, and he really should have known better than to make that one... But there were no losers in how they were going to spend the rest of the afternoon.
Off Topic
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